Saturday, May 17, 2014

Told from a female zombie’s perspective, this smart, witty detective series mixes urban fantasy and romantic dramedy.Gwendolyn “Gwen” Dylan is a 20-something gravedigger in an eco-friendly cemetery. Once a month she must eat a human brain to keep from losing her memories, but in the process she becomes consumed with the thoughts and personality of the dead person – until she eats her next brain. She sets out to fulfill the dead person’s last request, solve a crime or right a wrong.
In uVAMPIRE, Gwen dines on the grey matter of a person who knew her as a child – and things quickly get complicated. Meanwhile, ghost-girl Ellie learns a few tricks from Amon the mummy; Spot the were-terrier goes to the comics shop and meets someone from Gwen’s past, the mad scientist Galatea engages in a bit of grave-robbing; and the monster-hunters tackle the town’s vampire problem once and for all.

Volume 2 seems to be a bit more full of catch-up information than actual plot, but I still had a good time with it. You find out the origin stories of Scott (or Spot) the were-terrier, and also Gwen's ghostly BFF, Ellie. It even has a tidbit or two about Gwen's family...but still no info on how she ended up eating cold brains to survive.As the title suggests, the fem-vamps make another appearance, and their origin story is revealed as well. Remember the evil vampire who had impulse control issues? Well, it looks like getting staked by the Hunters last time around didn't quite put her out of commission. She ends up getting revived by...*thunder rumbles*The Bride of Frankenstein!And now she's Frankie's drug mule. Just roll with it, it sort of makes sense later on.Oh, and her real name is Galatea, but that just doesn't sound as cool as...*thunder rumbles*The Bride of Frankenstein!In a twist of fate, Gwen's monthly brain ends up belonging to an old childhood friend's mother. And mama had some issues with her daughter that she needs Gwen's help with. Also, since Gwen can see her younger self in some of this lady's memories, it brings up some serious questions about how much Gwen is starting to forget about her own past.Dun, Dun, Duuuun!Which brings us to Amon. He's got a fix for Gwen's dwindling memories, but she thinks the cure may be worse than the disease. Although, she might have no choice but to cross that line in the sand, in order to keep herself from turning into the classic mindless zombie.Besides trying to recruit Gwen to the Dark side of the Force (if in fact, that's what he actually trying to do), Amon is also helping Ellie learn to become a better ghost. With a little help, she's now able to posses bodies, and travel farther than she ever dreamed possible.And that's like, her biggest dream...evah! But you must read the above mentioned Ellie Origin Story for the full details.Gwen still has it bad for Horatio (the sexy monster hunter), and she succumbs to his charms after dinner and some putt-putt golf.After all, what girl can resist a man after he takes her on the Mini-Golf Date?! Seriously. Is there some handbook out there that claims tiny windmills will make our panties fall off? It's hot, sticky, and you end up hunched over a stick. All while trying to get a neon pink ball into a insane-looking clown's mouth.Not. Sexy. But this doesn't deter Gwen in the slightest. She's finally ready to get her undead groove on, and the fact that Horatio does't realize that she's a zombie is only a slight kink in the plan.I'm still liking this one quite a bit. It doesn't take itself too seriously, and there's enough mysteries playing in the background to keep me interested in seeing where this goes.